Dispensing tablet container



Sept. 23, 1958 o. UXA

DISPENSING TABLET CONTAINER Filed Oct. 23, 1953 1 \i IIIlII.

2,853,206 DISPENSING TABLET CONTAINER Oskar Uxa, Vienna, Austria Application October 23, 1953, SerialNo. 387,953 Claims priority, application Austria October 27, 1952 2 Claims. (Cl. 221-229) This invention rel-ates to a pocket container provided with a tilting cover and intended for dispensing. individual tablets superimposed in the container, the uppermost tablet being held by a stop provided at the upper part of the container periphery, and the cover having a pushing member which as the cover is opened is pressed laterally against the uppermost tablet to push it out. Containers of that type have been disclosed already. In these known containers, which for inexpensive manufacture are mass-produced byv injection molding from thermoplastic synthetic materials, the pushing member forms a more or less freely projecting lug, whose manufacture somewhat delays the molding step and sometimes causes rejects. Further that lug requires a corresponding opening in the casing wall opposite to the dispensing opening of the casing; this arrangement is adverse to the goodseal of the container.

To avoid these disadvantages the present invention suggests to form the pushing member by that wall of the tilting cover which is opposite to the tilting cover portion closing the dispensing opening. That wall may be of various shapes. The essential requirement is only that its edge opposite to the dispensing opening be in such relation to the cover part normally closing the dispensing opening that the pushing operation commences after the cover has been lifted sufliciently, and that the follow-up of the following tablet is sufliciently prevented. It is desirable, however, to shape the wall portion of the tilting cover opposite to the dispensing opening accordingly to a cylinder the axis of which coincides with the pivotal axis. That construction according to the invention does not only afford manufacturing advantages but also permits of the provision of a container giving a better seal when out of use. In addition this leads to a shape which is of an appearance superior to that of the known devices and which can be manufactured with simpler injection molds. This applies also to the manufacture of the present container from metal.

The diagrammatic drawing shows in vertical section only the upper part of the container forming the subject of the invention, in the two extreme positions of the cover, with a cover having a pushing wall formed according to a circular cylinder.

In Figs. 1 and 2, 1 is the inner part of the casing accommodating the tablets, 2 the outer part, which can be pulled from the inner part for filling the latter, 3 the cover with closing spring 4 and pivot pin 5, 6 the tablets or other filling elements, 7 the bottom part and 8 the follow-up spring urging the stack of tablets against the stop 9, as is well known. Normally the cover 3 closes the dispensing opening of the container, which is formed between the stop 9 and the side walls 10. The wall part 11 of the tilting cover opposite to that dispensing opening is formed internally as a pushing finger. Together with the upper wall 12 of the cover that wall 11 forms a ridge 13 which facilitates the opening operation because that ridge forms an abutment for the opening finger of the hand holding the container. At the same time the ridge portion 13 internally serves as an abutment for the closing spring 4.

As is evident particularly from Fig. 2, opening the cover will cause the end 14 of wall part 11 to push the uppermost tablet into the dispensing opening. Obviously the container wall must not interfere with that cover nited States Patent iatented Sept. 23, 1958 ICC movement. In the example shown each of the container walls of the inner part 2 of the casing has a slot 15 shaped according to an arc of "a circle. The effective portion of part 11 is also shaped like an arc of a circle centered on to pin 5. If part 14 were not shaped according to a circular cylinder, the slot 15 would have to be enlarged correspondingly. The end of slot 15 forms a stop limiting the rotation of cover 3. In open position, Fig. 2, the follow-up of the following tablet is prevented by that portion of the pushing wall 11.which has entered the slot 15, as is known per se. In the example shown the edges of the side walls of the cover are visible at 16; these side walls together with the parts 11, 12 form a troughor tub-like member of uniform wall thickness, which is' of advantage also from the manufacturing aspect. When the container is closed, the slots 15 are completely covered by said side walls, see Fig. 1. Part 17 provided on the inner part 1 of the casing forms a stop for the outer part 2 and when the cover is closed terminates above the end 14 of the pushing wall portion 11 of the cover. This measure serves to provide a container which may be considered practically dust-tight.

The empty container may be refilled in any known manner. This measure, as well as the manner in which the filling elements are pushed upwardly, has no specific bearing on the subject of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A container adapted to receive a stack of tablets or the like and individually to dispense same, comprising an elongated casing having a front opening near its top accommodating a single item to be dispensed, means for pushing a stack of such items within said casing toward said top, said casing having a pair of opposite sidewalls formed with extensions projecting above said opening, pivot means on said extensions disposed parallel to said opening, and a cap-shaped cover swingably mounted on said pivot means, said cover having a front flange completely sealing said opening in a normal closure position thereof, side flanges embracing said extensions, and a rear flange formed with a depending circularly cylindrical portion spanning said side flanges and centered on the axis of said pivot means, said portion having an edge engageable with the uppermost item of said stack for ejecting same through said opening upon pivotal movement of said cover from said normal position to a. dispensing position, said extensions being provided with arcuate slots undercutting said pivot means and accommodating said edge upon said pivotal movement, said casing having a rear wall formed with an arcuate upward extension concentric with said depending portion and externally overlying same in every cover position, said cover obstructing said slots with its said side flanges and forming a substantially dust-proof enclosure with said casing in said normal position.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein said cover is formed with an internal recess and a corresponding external ridge at the onset of said rear flange accommodating the finger of the user for swinging said cover around said pivot means, further including spring means anchored on said pivot means and bearing internally upon said cover at said recess for normally maintaining same in said closure position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,706,304 Lindeman Mar. 19, 1929 2,294,270 Bernhardt Aug. 25, 1942 2,519,438 Conley Aug. 22, 1950 2,620,061 UXa Dec. 2, 1952 I FOREIGN PATENTS 975,863 France Oct. 17, 1950 

